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Konan
Konan is a Japanese company, which developed various camera projects taken over by other manufacturers. History Kōnan Camera Kenkyūjo (甲南カメラ研究所, Konan Camera Laboratory) was founded in 1947 Konan history in English and in Japanese in the official website. by Nishimura Gakan (西村雅貫) and his associate Tanaka Harumi (田中晴美). Kubota, p.32 of no.53. The company received financial support from Hanaya Kanbei (ハナヤ勘兵衛) , p.280. Tashima Gizō, interviewed by Saeki Kakugorō on p.78 of no.12. to develop the Mica Automat, a subminiature camera for 16mm film cartridges. The camera was a commercial failure, and Hanaya's capital soon dried out. The patents were sold to Chiyoda Kōgaku Seikō (maker of the Minolta cameras), and an evolved version of the camera was manufactured by that company as the Konan-16 Automat, released in 1950. The company was incorporated as K.K. Kōnan Camera Kenkyūjo ( 甲南カメラ研究所) in 1951, certainly as a consequence of the agreements with Chiyoda. The Konan-16 later evolved as the Minolta 16, and gave birth to a long line of 16mm Minolta cameras. It is likely that the Konan shutters found on various Minolta cameras were related to the company too. Those appear on the Semi Minolta III and Minolta Memo at a very early period, near the foundation of Kōnan Camera Kenkyūjo, perhaps indicating that cooperation with Chiyoda began long before the release of the Konan-16. In the late 1950s, Kōnan cooperated with Yashica, and some young engineers were detached from the latter company to work under the supervision of Nishimura. Shirai, pp.61–2 of Maboroshi no kamera o otte. In 1958–59, the internals of the Yashica Future 127 auto-exposure prototype were designed by Takahama Sachi (高浜祥), one of Kōnan's engineers, whereas the body was drawn by Someha Keiichi (染葉桂一), one of the Yashica engineers detached to Kōnan. The company also claims to have developed the Single-8 movie film cartridge in 1959. (It would be introduced by Fuji in 1965.) Wikipedia page about Single-8. The company later concentrated on industrial, scientific or medical applications. It changed its name to K.K. Kōnan ( コーナン) in 1992, and merged within its trading department in 2001, becoming K.K. Kōnan Medical ( コーナン・メディカル). The company currently still exists under that name (2009). Cameras * Mica Automat * Konan-16 Automat, serial produced by Chiyoda (Minolta) * CM-16, rumoured to have been made by Konan on specifications by Chiyoda (Minolta) * Yashica Future 127, partly studied at Konan Notes Bibliography * Kubota Seiichirō (久保田盛一郎). "Nishimura Gakan shi to Mika Ōtomatto" (西村雅貫氏とミカオートマット, Nishimura Gakan and the Mica Automat). In Pp.32–3. The author personally knew Nishimura and his wife. * Saeki Kakugorō (佐伯恪五郎). "Tashima Gizō-shi ni kiku" (田嶋義三氏に聞く, "Asking Tashima Gizō"). Pp.76–9. * Shirai Tatsuo (白井達男). "Yashica Futura 127". Pp.57–66 of Maboroshi no kamera o otte (幻のカメラを追って, Pursuing phantom cameras). Gendai Kamera Shinsho (現代カメラ新書). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1982. ISBN 4-257-08077-9. (First published in Kamera Rebyū / Camera Review. no.7, May 1979.) On the relation between Kōnan and Yashica. * Links * Konan Medical official website: ** Konan history in English and in Japanese (important source for this page) ** Past products (in Japanese) * Konan at subclub Category: Japanese camera makers * Category: K Category:Japanese shutter makers